Delusions of Grandeur
by cheri1
Summary: 10th Doctor, 10Rose later on. Rose Tyler has been traveling with the Doctor now for almost two years, but...has she really been with the Doctor or has it all been in her mind? FINISHED
1. Prologue

Prologue

_Where am I? _

_The last thing I remember was being in the TARDIS laughing and joking with the Doctor and then the TARDIS went crazy and as I was watching the Doctor, everything went black and now…_

_I'm lying in a hospital bed in some room I've never seen before. The walls are bare and painted an off white color. There's a little nightstand beside me with a water pitcher and a plastic cup beside it. Other than that, the room is…_

_Oh God, there are huge leather restraints on the bedrails. That can't be good. The Doctor, where is he? Where is the TARDIS? I have to find out where I'm at and get back to him. And the best way to find out is to get up and look. So, here goes._

Rose lowered the bed rail and slid out of bed. Her bare feet hit the floor and she looked down at the white cotton hospital gown she was wearing. Tentatively, she walked over to the window and looked out. She saw that the building she was in had several wings that surrounded a courtyard and she was up several stories above the ground. She looked down and noticed a couple of people dressed in white scrubs walking around the courtyard or lounging by a tree directly in the center of the grassy area.

She jerked her head around when she heard the door to her room unlocking. She looked around for a weapon, but saw only the pitcher. She grabbed it and took the lid off preparing to fling the icy cold water in the intruder's face.

The man stopped and stared at her.

"Miss Tyler?" he said.

Rose lowered the pitcher.

"How do you know my name?" she said warily.

The man stared at her in confusion.

"You're a patient here." He said.

"Patient? What? Where is here?" Rose demanded.

"Bethlem Royal Hospital." The man said.

"Hospital? But I'm not sick." Rose said. "Why am I in hospital?"

"Because you had a psychotic breakdown, Miss Tyler. This is a hospital for the mentally ill."

"What? I'm not mentally ill!" she protested.

"I'm afraid you are, Miss Tyler. You've been confined here for almost two years now."

"No, I haven't. I've been traveling with the Doctor for almost two years." Rose said.

"Come with me, Miss Tyler, it's time for your therapy session." The man said.

"What? Wait, if I've been here for two years, then how come I don't remember it?" Rose said putting her hands on her hips.

"You've been heavily sedated to prevent you harming yourself and others. Doctor Foster has just ordered you taken off the meds which is why you are lucid enough to remember where you are."

"You're lying. I've been traveling with the Doctor. Where is he? Where have you taken him?" she demanded.

"Miss Tyler, if you just come with me, Doctor Foster is waiting to talk to you. I'm sure he can explain everything to you."

Rose stared at him warily.

"Okay, I'll go see this Doctor Foster then." She said hesitantly. "But he better give me some answers."

"I believe he will give you all the answers you need about your current situation, Miss Tyler, now if you'll just follow me?"

Rose put the water pitcher back on the nightstand and walked up to the man.

"This way, Miss Tyler."

"R…rose."

The man nodded.

"This way, Rose."

Wondering what in the world was going on; Rose followed the man out into the hallway. He shut the door behind her and led her down the corridor towards Doctor Foster's office.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Rose followed the man down the hallway. She looked around and noticed that most of the people were dressed in white scrubs. Several were shuffling around with blank look on their faces while a few were yelling out and screaming random words to the walls or floors. She glanced at all of them, but couldn't see the Doctor anywhere.

_Where is he?_ She thought.

The man led her down another hallway. At the end was a white door with a small nameplate affixed to it. Rose read the nameplate

JAMES FOSTER

PSYCHIATRIST

She tried to look through the window in the center of the door, but there was a closed window blind covering it. The man knocked on the door.

"Yes?" Someone said inside the room.

The man opened the door and stuck his head inside.

"Rose Tyler is here for her appointment."

"Thank you, Mark."

Mark stuck his head back out and stepped aside.

"Go in, Rose." He said.

Rose hesitated.

"Go on, Doctor Foster is inside." He urged.

Rose eyed Mark warily. She slowly walked past him into the small office. She paused as the door was closed behind her and looked around. The walls were painted the same off white as her room with several motivational posters in gold frames scattered around the room. A crate full of toys sat in one corner of the room and beside it was a small table that had numerous magazines and coloring books on it. There was a leather chair sitting in front of a wooden desk and behind the desk, Doctor Foster was sitting with a huge smile on his face as he stared up at Rose. The man was in his late 40's with wavy, ginger hair, glasses and a pudgy face. Rose looked at his left hand and noticed a wedding ring there.

"Welcome, Rose." He said, gesturing to the chair in front of the desk. "Please have a seat."

Rose walked over and sat down.

"Where am I?" she asked him.

"You are in Bethlem Royal Hospital."

"Where is that?"

"We're near Croydon."

Rose nodded.

"I understand you have been taken off your meds, Rose." He said glancing at a huge file in front of him.

"I was never on any meds. I've been kidnapped."

Foster glanced at her.

"Where were you kidnapped from, Rose?" he asked gently.

"From…my home." Rose said hesitantly.

"Your home which is…"

He glanced at the file.

"The TARDIS?" he asked looking at her.

Rose blinked.

"How…how did you know that?" she said.

"It's in your file, Rose." Foster said pointing to the manila folder in front of him. "These are records of our previous conversations."

"I've never had any conversations with you. I've never met you before in my life." Rose protested.

"You were heavily sedated, Rose, so I doubt if you remember much. After the explosion, you were extremely suicidal and tried several times to kill yourself before you were brought in here."

"That's a lie!" Rose said angrily. "I've never tried to kill myself! And what explosion?"

Foster thumbed through the papers and finally found the one he was searching for.

"In 2005, you were working at Henrick's department store." He read to her. "You were just leaving for the day when a leaking gas pipe ignited and caused a massive explosion that killed several of your friends and coworkers. You were despondant and tried to kill yourself. Your mother brought you here and you were diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and depression. You've been here ever since and it's only been since yesterday that they determined that you were well enough to be taken off of several meds."

"No, that's not what happened. Everything you've said is a lie." Rose protested.

Foster glanced at her.

"There wasn't an explosion at the department store where you worked?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I mean, yes, that happened. But no one died. I wasn't dispondant and suicidal. My mum never brought me here. I don't know how you got this information, but it's a lie!"

Foster glanced back down at his papers.

"And this man named the Doctor saving you from the…Autons…this is what happened?" he said glancing back at her.

"Yes! The Autons were gonna kill me and the Doctor saved me at the last moment. He's the one that blew up the building because he was trying to destroy them!"

"Tell me about that, Rose. About these Autons. You say they were being controlled by…"

He glanced back down at his notes.

"The…Nestene Conciousness." He read.

He glanced back up at her.

"Well, yes, it was controlling all the plastic in the city." Rose said.

"Mmhmm."

Rose paused.

"Go on." Foster said smiling.

"Well, the Doctor was in the department store trying to kill the Autons that were there. But, no one else was in the building. It was just me and him. Everyone else had left for the day so when the building blew up, no one died."

"Mmhmm, so the Doctor escaped the explosion and then came to find you at your flat?"

"Yes. I had a plastic arm that he had pulled off of one of the Autons."

"And it came to life and attacked him and you."

"Yes."

Foster wrote something down.

"Why do you think the Doctor came to your flat, Rose?" he asked her.

"Because he was tracking that arm."

"Yes, but why you? According to you, he didn't seem too interested in you at first. He even refered to you as a stupid ape and yet after you saved his life from this…Nestene Conciousness, he asked you to travel with him. And…when you refused the first time, he left, came back and offered again. Why do you think he did that, Rose?"

"I…I don't know. I guess he saw something in me. He knew that I deserved more than a boring life as a shopgirl in London."

"And was your life boring, Rose?"

"Well, yeah, nothing but work, eat, sleep and back to work again. It was dull."

"And the Doctor. A life with him was fun and exciting?"

"Well, yeah, I love traveling with him."

Foster wrote that down.

"And so you left your family and friends behind to go traveling with this Doctor?"

"Yes."

"Who was a time traveling alien."

"Is." Rose corrected.

Foster nodded.

"IS a time traveling alien. This man invited you to go along with him and he took you to the year…5 billion where you witnessed the destruction of the Earth."

"Yeah…um, how do you know all this?"

"You told me, Rose."

Rose stared at him in confusion.

"So while you were in the year 5 billion you met this woman named…Cassandra…who was a talking piece of skin?"

"Yeah, well, she was because she had so many face lifts that she ended up that way."

"Mmhmm, and you also met a bunch of talking tree people and a huge face?"

"The Face of Boe, yeah."

"And all these people were there to watch the Earth get destroyed."

"Yes."

"And this Cassandra then tried to kill everyone including you."

"Yeah."

Foster looked at her.

"Weren't you scared, Rose?"

"Yes."

"So, why do you keep on traveling with the Doctor after you almost got killed that day?"

"Cause I like it."

"You like risking injury and death to travel with him?"

"Yes."

"Because…it's better than living a normal, dull life of eat, work and sleep?"

"Yes."

Foster wrote that down.

"So, you went and had many adventures with the Doctor and then you got kidnapped and taken to this…Gamestation where you were put into a version of Weakest Link that was hosted by a robot?"

"The Anne Droid."

Foster nodded.

"The Anne Droid who disentigrated contestants when they were voted the weakest link?"

"Well, yeah, except we found out they weren't really being killed, they were being teleported to the Dalek ships."

"Which is where you ended up."

"Yes."

"And the Doctor saved you."

"Yes."

And then you were helping him to save the Earth and he tricked you and sent you back to the present time so you would be safe."

"Yes." Rose said rolling her eyes.

Foster paused.

"Why did you just roll your eyes at that, Rose?" he asked.

Rose paused.

"Because…I was upset he did that."

"Why?"

"Because he had no right to do that."

"He had no right to send you back to your dull, boring life when you were having an exciting life with him?"

"No, he had no right to trick me like that and send me back when I was helping him. We're a team!"

Foster wrote that down.

"But eventually you did find a way back to him."

Rose nodded.

"You found a way back to the exciting life you had with him."

"I found a way back so I could help him defeat the Daleks and save the Earth."

"By becoming the Bad Wolf?"

"Yeeeah." Rose said hesitantly.

She shook her head trying to remember when she had told him any of this.

"Tell me about the Bad Wolf, Rose. What is it?"

Rose frowned.

"It was this…thing that came to life when I accidentally took the time vortex into my body."

"Okay. Can you describe what happened when you took the vortex into your body?"

"It hurt. My head felt like it was on fire."

"Uh-huh."

"I really can't remember much except that there was this singing in my head."

Foster wrote that down.

"What did the singing sound like, Rose?"

"Beautiful. One of the most beautiful things I've ever heard. I can't really describe it."

"And you or this Bad Wolf you saved the Doctor from the Daleks."

"Yes."

"How?"

"I vaporized them."

"You vaporized the Daleks and saved the Doctor?"

"Yes."

"How did that make you feel?"

Rose stared at him.

"Um, I was happy, I guess."

"Because you saved the Doctor?"

"Um…yeah."

"So, when you rescued the Doctor, you didn't have to go back to that boring, dull life. You could continue to travel with him and have fun?"

Rose sighed.

"Could you get off that, please?" she said irritated.

Foster nodded.

"So, you were happy because you saved the Doctor. Did you care for him, Rose?"

"Um, yeah."

"How did you care for him?"

"He was my friend."

"Was he just a friend or was he something more than that?"

Rose paused.

"I guess he was something more." She said.

"Do you love him, Rose?"

Rose thought for a moment.

"Yes." She finally said.

"Why do you love him?"

Rose sighed.

"Why are you so interested in my relationship with him?" she asked.

"I'm just curious, Rose. I mean, you had a human boyfriend, didn't you?"

"Yeah, Mickey."

Foster nodded.

"And yet, you left him behind to travel with this Doctor. The Doctor, who is an alien. He's not even your same species and yet you fell in love with him. Why did you fall in love with him? What attracted you to the Doctor? How is he different from Mickey?"

"He…the Doctor…he's courageous and kind and selfless and funny and sweet."

"And Mickey isn't any of these things?"

"No, Mickey is funny and sweet and kind."

"But, he isn't courageous and selfless?"

"Well, no, I mean he can be those things at times, but the Doctor is…"

Rose paused not even sure how to put what she was thinking into words.

"Being with an alien is more exciting than being with a human?" Foster prompted.

"No, that's not it. It's just that the Doctor and I have been through so much and we just formed this bond because of that and… it just deepened over time."

"He was lonely too, wasn't he?"

"Yes, he was."

"Because he lost everything. His planet and friends and family?"

"Yes."

"And you came into his life and gave him a reason to live?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I mean, I like to think I helped him in that way, but I'm really not sure. I mean, the Doctor keeps a lot of things to himself and sometimes you have to read between the lines to figure out his feelings."

"So, he keeps a lot of things hidden?"

"Yeah."

"Even from you?"

"Yes."

"Even though he loves you?"

"Well, I don't really know if he loves me or not."

"Why do you say that, Rose?"

Rose thought.

"It's just that he won't really say. Like I said, he's hard to figure out sometimes and I'm never really sure what he's thinking."

"Is it because he sent you away, Rose? Is that why you're not sure if he loves you or not?"

"No, he sent me away to protect me."

"So, would you say that by doing that, he was showing his love for you?"

Rose sighed.

"I don't know. I really don't." she said angrily.

"Do you want him to love you?"

"I guess so."

"Why?"

"Because he's wonderful."

"Is he everything you've ever wanted in a man?"

Rose thought.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"And Mickey isn't."

Rose sighed.

"Look, Mickey and I were already heading towards a breakup when I met the Doctor." She said.

"But, meeting the Doctor kinda put the final nail in the coffin of the relationship."

"I s'pose so."

She sighed glancing around the room impatiently. Foster watched her for a moment and looked through his notes.

"Rose, after the Doctor took the vortex out of you, he then died?" he asked her.

Rose looked back at him.

"Yes."

"And he came back to life as another man."

"Yes, he regenerated."

"Why do you think that happened?"

Rose stared at him.

"Because he was about to die and that's what him and his people do whenever they were about to die." She said testily.

"And this Doctor was younger."

"Yes."

"And cuter?"

Rose shrugged.

"I…guess."

"What was the difference between him and his previous life, Rose? Were there any differences between the men besides age and appearance?"

"Well, yeah…"

"Like what? What was different about this Doctor?"

"Well, he's…a lot more lighthearted and not so…sullen."

Foster wrote that down.

"Anything else?" he asked.

"He's funnier."

"Easier to get along with?" Foster asked.

"Oh yeah, much easier."

"Anything else?"

"He's…more...sentimental, I guess."

"More…loving?"

"S'pose so."

"Was he easier to talk to?"

"Is..."

"IS he easier to talk to?" Foster corrected himself.

"Yes, he is."

"So, about the time you were falling in love with him and wanted him to fall in love with you, the old, sullen, angry Doctor died and a new, lighthearted, sweeter, loving version appeared in his place."

Rose glared at him.

"Why are you getting angry when I say that, Rose?"

"Because I'm getting tired of this bullshit! You're implying that I'm making up the Doctor and I'm not. He's not a figment of my imagination! He's a real person! Now where is he?"

"Where do you think he is?"

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking you! What have you done with him?"

"We haven't done anything with him, Rose."

"Then where is he?"

Foster smiled at her.

"He's inside you, Rose, safe and sound."

Rose gritted his teeth.

"He is not some make believe character I've thought up to shield myself from reality, dammit! The Doctor is real! You get that? He's real! Now, I wanna know what you've lot done with him! Take me to him or I really will go psycho on your asses!"

"Why are you getting so defensive, Rose?"

"I'm getting defensive because you don't believe me! Look, I know my flying around in time and space with an alien and all the things we did sound like a bunch of nutty nonsense to you, but I swear to you I didn't make any of it up. I don't have that good of an imagination. Now, please, let me see the Doctor."

"I'm afraid I can't, Rose."

"Why not?"

"Because the Doctor isn't here."

"Where is he, and by God, don't you dare say he's inside my head!"

"I don't know where the Doctor is, Rose. All I know is you are at Bethlem Royal Hospital where you are currently undergoing treatment for PTSD and depression. You and I have been chatting for the past two years and this is why I have this huge file on you in front of me."

"Let me see it." Rose said holding out her hand.

"Rose,"

"LET ME SEE MY FILE, DAMMIT!"

Foster handed her the file. Rose thumbed through the pages and stared at it in disbelief. Records of conversations she had been having with Foster stretched back two years. She glanced at the writing and read through her memories with the Doctor.

"No, this can't be real." She whispered. "The Doctor is real. I know he is."

She put her hand over her mouth as tears came to her eyes.

"Rose." Foster said gently.

"The Doctor is real. The Doctor is real! He's real! He's not made up!" she said to him. "I'm not nuts. I know I'm not. Please, you have to believe me! The Doctor is real!"

Foster rose from his seat. He walked over and knelt down beside her chair.

"Rose." He said taking her hand.

"The Doctor is real! Please, you have to believe me!" she implored. "He's out there somewhere looking for me! You have to help me get back to him!"

Tears flowed down her cheeks.

"Mum, I wanna talk to my mum. Please, can I call her? She can tell you. She knows the Doctor! She'll tell you!"

"You can call your mum if you want to, Rose."

"Please, I want to, right now! Please take me to a phone!"

Foster nodded. He took the file off her lap and sat it on his desk. He reached out a hand to her.

"Follow me, Rose, we'll go find a phone." He said gently.

Rose nodded. She wiped the tears away, took his hand and stood up.

"He's real. He's real." She murmured as Foster opened the door and led her outside.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

_This can't be true. I can't have imagined the Doctor. The Doctor is real. I know he is. These people are lying to me. If he's imaginary, then how come I remember the feel of his hand in mine? His soft, warm hand giving me comfort and courage when I'm feeling afraid and the circumstances seem overwhelming. The feel of his warm breath on my face when he is near me. The sound of his laughter when he's joking around and his lilting Cockney accent that is like music to my ears. Like I told Doctor Foster, I don't have enough of an imagination to make up all this. The Doctor is alive and he's out there somewhere and God willing, I will find a way out of this and get back to him._

Doctor Foster led her up to a nurse's station.

"Here you are, Rose," he said pointing to the phone on the desk. "Call your mum from here."

"Thank you." Rose said softly.

She picked up the receiver and paused when she noticed her wrist. Her eyes widened when she noticed a thin scar running right across it. Deliberately ignoring it, she dialed her mother's number. It rang a few times and then, to Rose's relief, she heard her mother on the other end.

"Hello?" Jackie said.

"Hello, mum."

"Rose! Oh, sweetheart, how are you, love?"

"I'm fine. Listen, I need to ask a favor of you."

"Sure, hon, what is it?"

Rose glanced over at Doctor Foster.

"Can you tell my…therapist about the Doctor?"

"Doctor who?"

"The Doctor...you know."

"No, I don't know. Which Doctor are you talking about?"

Rose sighed.

"The Doctor. The one that I travel with."

"Travel with?"

"In the TARDIS, mum."

"What's that?"

"Mum, this isn't funny!"

"I'm not trying to be funny, sweetheart, I really don't know what you're talking about." Jackie protested.

Rose paused as she felt her heart sink into her stomach.

"You know the Doctor, you have to know him." She said softly.

"No, Rose, I don't know any Doctor. I'm sorry; love, but I really don't have any idea what you're talking about."

Rose said nothing, too in shock to talk any more.

"Rose, are you there?" Jackie asked after a moment's silence.

"I love you, mum." Rose said in a whisper. "I gotta go now."

"Wait, Rose, what's this all about? Honey, what's going---"

Rose hung up the phone.

"Rose," Foster said gently as he came forward.

"Leave me alone." She said backing away.

"Rose, you have to understand that this Doctor isn't real."

"HE IS REAL, DON'T YOU SAY THAT!" Rose screamed at him.

Foster noticed a couple of aides coming out of a nearby room. He shook his head and waved them away.

"Rose, listen to me. I'm sorry, but the Doctor only exists in your head."

"NO!"

"Rose, calm down, or I'll have to have someone give you a valium."

Rose took a deep breath and calmed herself.

"This has to be a mistake." She said. "I would know if I'd been here two bloody years. I was with the Doctor. I remember the smell of the TARDIS and the Doctor's scent. How could I remember that if I was just making it up?"

"The mind is a powerful thing. Sometimes it can trick the senses into smelling and seeing and hearing things that aren't there." Foster said.

"No, I know the difference. I know what I did for the past two years and I wasn't sitting in here drugged up, making up imaginary friends to play with! I was out exploring time and space with the Doctor and---"

She paused when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head and her heart stopped when she saw the Doctor and Jack turn the corner and walk towards the nurse's station talking to each other. Both of them were wearing the maroon scrubs that the aides were wearing.

"DOCTOR, JACK!" she screamed as she ran towards them.

Both men stopped short and stared at her as she ran up. She threw her arms around the Doctor's neck and hugged him tight.

"Oh God, you're here, you're really here!" she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Oh please, take me away from here."

She looked at Jack.

"Jack? How…how'd you get here?" she said confused.

"I'm sorry, but I think you're making a mistake."

Rose looked at the Doctor and frowned when she heard him using a Scottish accent. Her eyes widened in understanding.

"Oh," she whispered in her ear. "You're in disguise and using a fake accent to rescue me. I'm sorry, Doctor, I hope I didn't blow your cover."

The Doctor pushed her back.

"Um, listen lady; I think you're mistaking me for someone else. I'm not a doctor. I'm one of the aides."

"No, you're the Doctor." Rose said shaking her head. "And you're Jack Harkness. I know you."

"Rose," Foster said putting his hand on her shoulder. "This isn't the Doctor. His name is David McDonald and this man is John Barrowman. They aren't who you think they are."

"No, you're lying. This is the Doctor and this is Jack. Don't you think I know them when I see them?"

"Rose, they work here. They've been here longer than you've been here. If this is the Doctor and Jack to you, then you must have seen them at one point and incorporated them into---"

"I didn't incorporate anyone into anything. I keep telling you, I'm not making anything up. I know my own mind and I'm not nuts! I don't know how I got here, but I'm getting myself out!"

"I wouldn't recommend that, Rose. I don't think you want to go back to being sedated, do you?"

Rose narrowed her eyes.

"Is that a threat?" she said.

"No, it's a promise. If you act up, then I'm afraid I will have to order the nurse to start giving you your sedatives again. I don't want to do that, but if you're going to be combative and cause trouble---"

"No, I'll behave, don't do that." Rose said quickly.

"Okay, hopefully you'll keep to that promise then." He said. "Now, why don't you go in the TV room, watch some TV and relax for awhile?"

Rose thought that over and then nodded.

Foster smiled.

"Follow me then and I'll take you there." He said.

Rose glanced back at the two aides and then took Foster's hand. She glanced back again and saw the two men resting by the nurse's station talking to each other.

_What if Foster's lying?_ She thought. _What if that really is the Doctor and Jack and they're in disguise? I have to get them alone and talk to them. _

They walked down a couple of hallways before coming to a huge room. Rose looked in and saw several small couches arranged in rows in front of a TV mounted on the wall. Several people were sitting on the couches quietly staring up at the screen. Foster looked around and then pointed to an elderly woman near the back.

"Why don't you go sit near Florence?" he asked. "I'm sure she'd love the company."

"Alright."

Foster patted her on the shoulder and then left the room. Rose hesitated a moment and then walked over and sat beside Florence.

"Hello," Florence said smiling at her.

Rose smiled in return.

"How are you, sweetie?" she asked patting Rose's hand.

"I'm fine, I guess. I'm just upset right now." Rose muttered.

Florence gave her a sympathetic look.

"What's wrong, honey?" she asked her.

Rose sighed.

"No one believes me." Rose said looking at her hands. "I have this friend called the Doctor and I know he's real, but when I tried to tell my therapist that, he told me I was just making him up."

"Oh…I know how that is, sweetie, my therapist is the same way." Florence said nodding.

"Really? They don't believe you either?" Rose said looking at her.

"No, no one believes me. I mean, I know for a fact that Pat the Postman delivers my mail every morning, but they keep telling me he doesn't."

Rose stared at her. She gave Florence a polite smile when she looked at Rose. She sighed softly and looked away towards the door as Florence turned her attention back to the TV. As she looked out, she suddenly saw the Doctor walking by. Rose kept her eyes on the door as she started to get up.

"Where are you going, dear?"

Rose looked back at Florence who was smiling at her.

"I'm…going to the loo." She said.

"Okay, sweetie." Florence replied. "On your way there, could you go to the nurse's station and see if Pat has brought the mail in yet?"

"Um…yeah."

"Thank you, sweetie."

Rose gave her another polite smile. As Florence went back to watching the TV, Rose quickly hurried out the door, hoping that she could talk to the Doctor alone.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Rose walked down the hallway trying to find where the Doctor had gone. She cursed thinking that she had lost him and then, as he passed by a room, she noticed him inside it putting a pitcher on a woman's nightstand as she lay restrained in her bed. She looked around and then walked inside the room. He looked up at her.

"Yes?" he said.

"It's me, Doctor."

He sighed.

"Rose, I'm not a doctor. I'm an aide and my name is David." He said to her.

"No, you have to be the Doctor."

She moved towards the bed and nearly jumped out of her skin when the woman suddenly screamed. She put her hand over her heart as David walked over to her.

"Don't mind Mable, she does that from time to time." he said gesturing to her. "It's part of her illness. She sees snakes floating over her bed every so often."

He put his hands on her shoulders.

"Rose," he said gently. "I don't know who you think I am, but my name is David McDonald. I'm an aide here. I've been an aide here for nearly three years now. I'm sorry you keep mistaking me for someone else, but I'm telling you the honest to God truth."

He gave her a sympathetic look when he saw the tears running down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for not being the man you thought I was." He said gently.

"No, it's alright; it's not your fault." Rose said.

He smiled at her.

"Why don't you come with me and help me make my rounds?" he asked.

Rose nodded.

"Okay." She said.

"Follow me then."

Rose followed David out the door. He grabbed a small cart loaded with linen and toiletries and wheeled it to the next room. He knocked on the door, opened it and looked inside. He gestured to Rose and she followed him inside.

"Hey, Philip, how are you doing today?" David asked walking over to a twenty something young man who was sitting in a chair and watching TV.

"Okay, I guess." Philip said in a dull voice. "The Doctor upped my meds a couple days ago, said the dosage of Effexor wasn't strong enough."

David nodded.

"I hope the stronger dosage works then." He said.

"Yeah, me too."

"Do you need anything?"

Philip thought for a moment.

"No, not right now." He said.

"Okay, see you later, Phil."

"See ya."

David nodded at Rose and they both left the room. He grabbed a hold of the cart and wheeled it to the next room.

"Now," he whispered back to her. "This is Jack. He's incontinent so I know I'll need a change of bedding for him."

He grabbed a top sheet, a fitted sheet, a washcloth and a towel. Rose followed him inside. She saw an elderly man restrained to his bed.

"Mornin', Jack." David said to him.

"GET THE FUCK OUTTA MY ROOM, YOU FUCKING BASTARDS!"

David looked back at Rose and smiled when he saw the shocked look on her face.

"That's normal for him. Just the same, stand back away from the bed when I change him, he's very combative." He said.

He walked into the bathroom, grabbed a pink plastic wash basin and began to fill it with water.

"GO TO HELL, YOU MOTHER FUCKING BASTARDS!" Jack screamed at them.

David chuckled when Rose quickly ducked into the bathroom.

"Aw, don't worry about him, he's more bark than bite." David said to her.

He put the washcloth in the basin and grabbed some soap from the medicine cabinet.

"So, how old are you, if you don't mind me asking?" David said looking at Rose.

"I'm twenty."

"You're very young." He said.

He dipped the washcloth in the basin, wrung it out and lathered it with soap. He put the soap down by the sink and laid the washcloth on the side of the basin. He reached over to the toilet, grabbed a couple of latex gloves from a box and put them on.

"Ready? Here we go."

He stepped out into Jack's room.

"GET OUT OF MY FUCKING ROOM, YOU FUCKING WANKER!" Jack screamed at him as he sat the basin down on his nightstand.

"Now, Jack, it's just me. Calm down."

"FUCK YOU!"

David looked back at Rose still standing in the bathroom and smiled at her.

"It's okay, he won't do anything to you." He said.

Rose nodded and stepped into the room.

GET THE FUCK OUTTA MY ROOM, YOU FUCKING BITCH!"

"Now, Jack, that's not nice. Rose is a guest here." David said gently.

"SCREW YOU, YOU STUPID GIT!"

David shrugged.

"Behave Jack so I can get you changed." He said putting his hand on the restraint encircling his right wrist.

He released him from the restraint and Rose gasped when Jack tried to take a swing at him. She came forward to help him.

"No, stay back, Rose." David said grabbing Jack's wrist. "You're not allowed to help me, it's against the rules. I can handle myself."

"LET GO OF ME YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Jack screamed at David.

"Jack, turn over for me."

Keeping his hand on the wrist, he reached around to his back and made him turn to his right side.

"Yup, you certainly need to be changed." David muttered staring at the feces smeared on the fitted sheet..

"LET GO OF ME!"

"Rose can you bring the linen and set them on the bed beside me?"

Rose nodded. She grabbed the linen and brought it over.

"Thanks." David said as she laid it beside him. "Now get back, I gotta let go of his wrist."

Rose backed up and David let go of the wrist. He grabbed the linen and went around the other side as Jack took a swing at him.

"So," David said as he quickly changed Jack's linen. "Who did you think I was?"

"Um, this man named the Doctor."

"Oh, I thought you were thinking I was a Doctor. I didn't realize that was the guy's name." David said as he dodged Jack's fist.

He grabbed Jack's wrist when he took another swing.

"Jack, settle down!" he said sternly.

"FUCK YOU!"

David rolled his eyes. He rolled up the soiled linen and put it against Jack's side. He dodged as Jack took another swing.

"You're pretty good at that." Rose said.

"Yeah, well, Jack's been here for about a year, so I've had plenty of practice." He replied.

He grabbed the washcloth and began to clean the feces off of Jack's bottom.

"So, this Doctor," he said as he worked. "I assume he looks like me."

"Exactly like you."

"So, is that a good or bad thing?"

"It's a very good thing."

"Good, I'm glad to hear that."

He folded up the washcloth and towel, put them inside the soiled sheet and pushed it all under Jack's side. He grabbed Jack's wrist when he took another swing and put it back in the restraint. As Jack screamed curses at him, he took one hand off the wrist and put the restraint back on.

"And John is someone else you knew?" David asked letting go of the restrained hand.

"Yes, his name was Jack."

David grinned at her as he grabbed the clean fitted sheet.

"This Jack?" he asked winking.

Rose laughed.

"No, he wasn't quite that bad."

David began to put the fitted sheet on.

"So, if I was using a fake accent, what accent does this Doctor have then?"

"A cockney accent."

"I see. And you thought I was here to rescue you?"

"Yes."

David finished putting the fitted sheet on the one side of the bed. He stuffed the other end under the soiled one and walked around the other side.

"So, is he a relative?"

"No, a friend. I travel with him."

"Oh really, where do you guys go?" he said undoing the other restraint.

Rose hesitated.

"Just different places." She said.

"Sounds exciting."

"It is. I love traveling with him."

"How long have you been doing it?" David asked ducking as Jack took another swing at him.

Rose hesitated. David glanced at her.

"Let me guess, the amount of time you've traveled with him is the same amount of time you've been in here."

"Yeah, except…"

David rolled Jack onto his left side, grabbed the soiled and clean fitted sheets and pulled on them. He took the soiled sheet and put it in a nearby hamper. He hurried back to the bed and dodged as Jack took another swing.

"Except what?" David asked grabbing the clean fitted sheet and pulling it taut so he could finish making the bed.

"I…don't think I've been here that long." Rose said.

"Oh really?" David said finishing with the fitted sheet and grabbing Jack's free arm. "You've been out traveling with the Doctor all that time?"

"Yes, I have."

"For Christ's Sake, Jack, quit fighting me for a change." David muttered as he pulled Jack's wrist down to the restraint.

He glanced at Rose.

"Well, this August, I will have been here three years and I do know that you've been here for two years and…Geez, Jack, give a guy a break, will ya?...anyway, I've seen you in your room. I wasn't the one that took care of you but, I knew you were here and I knew you were out of it for the longest time. In fact, this is the first time I haven't seen you completely stoned outta your mind."

He sighed as he finished restraining Jack.

"Man, I get a workout with this guy." He said.

He grabbed the soiled top sheet and walked to the hamper.

"I hate to disappoint you, Rose, but that's the truth." He said taking off the soiled gloves, turning them inside out and laying them on top of the hamper.

He walked over and grabbed the clean fitted sheet.

"You sure it was me?" Rose asked.

David snapped open the top sheet and spread it over Jack.

"Very sure." He said. "I admit, I'm kinda lousy with names and since you weren't on my rounds I forgot what you were called, but I never forget a face and you have been here almost two years."

He paused when Rose began to cry.

"Rose, I'm sorry, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but, this Doctor, I don't think he really exists." He said rubbing her arm. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"No, it's alright." Rose said wiping the tears from her eyes. "It's just I was so sure he was alive, you know. He seemed so real."

David nodded.

"I know, Rose." He said gently.

"GO TO HELL, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLES!"

David sighed angrily.

"Here, let's go on to the next room and leave Jack in peace, okay?"

Rose nodded.

David walked over and grabbed the washbasin from the nightstand and grabbed the soiled gloves from the hamper.

"We're leaving you alone now, Jack." He said to him.

"GOOD AND DON'T COME BACK!"

"Trust me, I really wish I didn't have to." David muttered under his breath.

He smiled at Rose. He went to the bathroom, dumped out the dirty water and put the basin back up. He threw away the gloves and walked back out. He beckoned to Rose and she turned and followed him out of the room.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"I can't believe you lost Rose!"

The Doctor sighed angrily. He was sitting on the couch in Jackie's flat and she was standing in front of him, completely furious. He looked up at her.

"For the last time, Jackie, I didn't lose Rose. She was taken from me!" he said.

"Well, I can't believe you let her get kidnapped then. How could you be so irresponsible?"

"Believe me; I wasn't planning on her being abducted. It just sort of happened!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that we were coming back here to visit you and both of us were in the control room when everything started going haywire. I was trying to get the TARDIS stabilized and I looked over and Rose was gone. I only took my eyes off of her for a second so whatever happened to her happened very fast, not to mention the fact that there are very few things in this universe that are capable of penetrating the walls of a TARDIS which is another reason why I wasn't worried that she would be snatched out of the control room right under my nose. I take care of Rose, Jackie. She's been with me for nearly two years and not once has she been seriously hurt or killed. I consider that quite an achievement considering I face danger nearly every day. I take my promise to you very seriously whether you believe that or not."

"Then why aren't you keeping your promise and going out and finding my daughter?"

The Doctor sighed.

"I don't know where she's gone; unfortunately the TARDIS doesn't have any windows in it so I couldn't look out and see where she went. If she was pulled out, there was probably a ship of some sort involved and by the time I could turn the TARDIS around and go back to check, it would be long gone. So, I decided to come here, let you know what happened and check my computer to see if it picked up anything, okay? I would be working on it now except you're standing over me, screaming at me, which, frankly, is preventing me from going back inside and looking."

Jackie threw up her hands.

"Fine, go look then. But, you better find my daughter alive and well or I'll be the next thing that causes you to regenerate!"

The Doctor glared at her as she stomped into the kitchen. Shaking his head, he got up from the couch and walked back to the TARDIS sitting in the corner of the room.

"It's bad enough that I hate myself for what happened to Rose, now I got her mother jumping down my throat as well." He muttered as he went up the ramp into the control room.

He walked over to the monitor and brought up the feed from the security camera. He had installed it as a precaution after the very same thing had happened to him and Rose and Jack in his previous life. The Daleks had been responsible for that abduction and the Doctor wondered if they were responsible for this one as well.

He rewound the footage until he found the moment just before the abduction occurred. He leaned down and stared intently at the monitor. The camera was mounted on the back wall on the left side and so he was looking down on him and Rose as they sat side by side on the captain's chair laughing and joking. Suddenly, the TARDIS jerked violently and he heard Rose scream as she grabbed onto the back of the chair.

"Doctor, what's happening?" she said.

He watched as he leaped up and looked at the monitor.

"What?" he heard himself say.

"Doctor, what is it?"

"The screen's going crazy."

There was another lurch and the lights flickered on and off. He watched himself running around the console trying to stabilize everything. Another violent lurch and Rose fell off the captain's chair onto the floor as he gripped the rim of the console.

"Rose, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

He watched as she quickly hurried over to the other side of the control room so she could get out of his way as he muttered curses and dashed around the console flicking switches and pushing buttons. Rose stood gripping the railing of the ramp with one hand as she watched him working feverishly to get the TARDIS back under control.

The Doctor's eyes widened when suddenly Rose was enveloped in a huge black circle as if someone had taken spray paint and blacked her out of the picture. A second later, the blackness vanished along with her. He had his back to her at the time flipping a switch and it wasn't until a second later when he rounded the console that he realized she wasn't there anymore. He watched as he stopped and stared at the spot in confusion. At that exact moment, whatever had caused the TARDIS to go haywire ceased and all became calm again.

"Rose?" he heard himself say. "Rose! Where are you?"

He watched as he ran over to the spot where Rose had been standing, stared at it for a moment, looked around and then ran back out of the console room screaming her name. He stopped the footage, pushed a button and backed up to just before the moment the black spot appeared. Just before he got to the moment, he hit the slow motion button and advanced the picture frame by frame. He stared at the picture in shock. As Rose stood watching him, he could see a black mist coming through the wall beside the door. With each frame it slowly crept towards her. Once it reached her, it fanned out and completely enveloped her body. He watched Rose's face and, judging from her expression, there was never any indication that she knew it was happening. He surmised that it happened so fast, that Rose didn't have any time to react to it. He watched as the mist formed a ball around her, lingered for a moment and then went back out the way it came taking Rose with it. The Doctor had never seen anything like it. He figured that whoever or whatever it was that made the mist also was responsible for the disturbance, probably as a distraction while they grabbed Rose. But, why would they want Rose in the first place?

"Well?"

The Doctor jerked his head up and saw Jackie standing on the other side of the console.

"You find where my daughter went to?" she said folding her arms over his chest.

The Doctor sighed.

"No, but I know what took her." He said.

"What?"

"A black mist."

"What? What'd you mean, black mist?"

"I mean a black mist came through the TARDIS wall, enveloped Rose and then went back out with her inside it."

"How could a mist kidnap her?"

"I don't know, Jackie, it just did. I have a security camera in here and when I slowed down the footage and took it frame by frame I saw a black mist come through the wall and abduct her."

"So, what are you gonna do about it?"

The Doctor sighed.

"I'm gonna check my database and see if any of my known enemies uses something like that."

"And if they don't?"

"Then, it's an enemy that's not known to me and I have to play it by ear until I figure out who and what the thing is."

"Oh terrific, my daughter's life is on the line and he's just gonna make it up as he goes along!" she said throwing up her hands. "Well, I hope she stays safe while you're doing your bloody improvising."

"I will find Rose, Jackie. I have every intention of bringing her back to me alive and unharmed. I have never failed her before and I will not fail her now. Now would you please vacate my ship so I can begin the search?"

"If she turns up dead, I will never forgive you."

"Believe me, Jackie, if she turns up dead, I will never forgive myself." He said. "I care for her more than you can possibly know which is why I will move Heaven and Earth to find her. I give you my word that I will defeat whatever is holding her captive and save her life. Now please go so I can get started."

Jackie stared at him for a moment and then nodded.

"When you do find her, bring her back here." She said.

"I will, I promise."

She hesitated a moment.

"Good luck." She said.

The Doctor smiled.

"Thanks."

He watched as she turned and walked back out the doors. Once she was gone, he closed the doors, powered up the TARDIS and headed into the vortex.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

The Doctor pounded his fist on the rim of the console. He had been scanning his database searching for any mention of the black mist in the extensive files he had on his enemies. He had spent hours looking, but he could find nothing. He let out a frustrated groan knowing that the lack of information meant that it was more than likely an enemy that was not known to him and he would have to try to figure out who this enemy was and where they were hiding and what they wanted with Rose. All of this would take time and time was something he didn't have a lot of especially since he had no idea what was happening to Rose at the moment.

He glanced up at the ceiling.

"I don't suppose you have any ideas, old girl." He said to the TARDIS.

The TARDIS grunted a negative.

"Bollocks."

He ran his hand through his hair feeling angry and frustrated and powerless. Three of his least favorite emotions.

"I can't fail Rose. She needs me." He muttered. "I will figure this out if it takes me the rest of my life and my regenerations to do it."

Sighing angrily, he went back to the monitor trying something else in the hope that it would lead him to Rose.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rose was sitting on the bed in her room. She looked up when David stuck his head in the door.

"Hey, if it isn't my favorite little helper. Ready to help me make the rounds?" he asked.

"Yup."

"Well, let's get to it then."

Rose stood up and followed him out the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Well, Jack's taken care of for the moment." David said as he and Rose exited the room.

He smiled at her.

"You know, I'm so glad I decided to bend the rules and let you help me. You have great reflexes. You dodge Jack's punches like its second nature to you. How did you get so good at doing that?"

"Well, I traveled with the…"

She hesitated a moment and then swallowed.

"I took gymnastics when I was younger." She said.

David nodded.

"Figured it was something like that. You really should have tried out for the Olympic team. I bet you could have taken home the gold."

Rose smiled.

"Thanks." She said.

She felt her heart ache when David winked at her. The Doctor used to do that all the time. She missed him so much. Despite all the evidence around her, she still believed that her travels with him weren't a figment of her imagination. But, she was reluctant to talk about him openly now, fearful that someone might thing she was delusional and put her back on sedatives. David wasn't the Doctor, but he was a very sweet guy and she enjoyed making the rounds with him. It gave her a way to pass the time in this strange environment.

They turned a corner and she saw "Jack" up ahead carrying an armful of clean linen into a room. She fought the urge to call him Jack and instead just smiled.

"Hey, David." John said as they walked up.

He grinned at Rose.

"See you got your helper along like usual." He said.

"Yeah, she's really good at doing the rounds with me. Makes my job a whole lot easier." David replied.

John raised his eyebrow.

"Yeah, well, don't let anyone know you're doing that or you'll be sacked." He said.

"They can't sack me; I'm too valuable to them."

John snorted.

"Yeah, you keep on thinking that, mate." He said as David chuckled.

He sighed as he glanced in the room.

"Well, gotta go, Ethel's being fussy." He said.

David rolled his eyes.

"So, what else is new?" he replied.

John grinned and winked at Rose.

"See ya later, Blondie." He said.

Rose felt a pang as she got a glimpse of her Jack. She kept her composure and smiled back at him.

"See ya." She said.

John went into the room as David looked back at her.

"Well, let's get going faithful companion." He said to her.

Rose swallowed hard and nodded. She followed behind David as he wheeled his cart down the hall.

They turned another corner and Rose stopped short. Up ahead was Doctor Foster. He was chatting with a man who looked exactly like the ninth version of the Doctor. The only difference between the Doctor and this man was he was wearing grey trousers and a purple jumper. Rose fought back the urge to cry as she looked at him.

Foster turned and noticed Rose. He smiled as he gestured to her.

"Here she is Doctor Eccleston, this is that girl Rose I was telling you about." He said to the Doctor.

Doctor Eccleston smiled as he walked up to Rose.

"Nice to meet you, Rose. I've heard so much about you."

Rose felt like she was going to pass out. Not only did he have the same face as the ninth Doctor, but he had the same Northern accent as well. She couldn't help the tears that sprang to her eyes. What was going on? He couldn't be here, he was dead. She looked back at David who was leaning casually against the cart with his hands in his pockets. She looked at Doctor Eccleston who was observing her quietly.

"Is something wrong?" Doctor Eccleston asked.

"I…I…"

She shook her head.

"No, it's…nothing." She said softly.

She glanced over and noticed that Foster was eyeing her with interest. She could tell he knew that she recognized him from her so-called delusion. At the moment, she didn't care. It didn't matter if it was the ninth Doctor or not, she was still glad she got another chance to see him again. She forced herself to look at Doctor Eccleston and smiled hoping that he wouldn't start asking questions about her odd behavior.

Thankfully, he glanced at his watch.

"Well, Rose, I'd love to stay and chat with you, but I got a client coming to my office in about five minutes. It was nice meeting you though."

"You too." Rose said softly.

He smiled at her and Rose felt another pang when she noticed his blue eyes sparkling. Just like the way they used to sparkle when he looked at her. Rose wasn't sure if she was insane or not, but from the way things were going, she soon would be. Doctor Eccleston nodded at Foster and walked off towards his office.

"Well, I better get back to my rounds too." David said leaning up.

He smiled at Rose.

"Come on, Rose, I'll take you back to your room on the way." He said.

"Um…actually, if you don't mind I'd like for Rose to come with me to my office. I want to talk to her for a few minutes." Doctor Foster said.

Rose groaned. She shoulda known something like this would happen. She gave David a pleading look, but he nodded at Foster.

"See ya later, Rose." He said smiling at her.

Rose felt her heart sink as David wheeled the cart past them. He watched him go for a moment and then forced herself to look at Foster who was still studying her intently.

"Follow me, Rose." He said to her.

Rose sighed and followed behind him. He led her to his office and opened the door. He motioned for her to go in and she walked past him, careful not to look him in the eyes. She walked over to the seat in front of the desk and slumped down into it as Foster closed the door.

"How are you doing, Rose?" Foster asked settling himself down behind the desk.

"Fine." Rose muttered.

Foster frowned.

"You don't sound fine. Is something the matter?" he asked concerned.

Rose sighed inwardly. She hated this. She hated having every little aspect of her life and her behavior analyzed like this. It made her feel like she was under a microscope.

"I'm fine, really." She said trying to sound as cheerful as she could.

She could tell he wasn't buying it, but he didn't press the issue. Instead, he leaned back in his chair and smiled at her as he brought his fingertips together.

"I couldn't help but notice your reaction to Doctor Eccleston, Rose. You had this look on your face like you recognized him. Did you?"

"No, I've never seen him before in my life."

"Rose, you can tell me the truth. It's alright. You're safe here." Foster said gently.

Rose turned her head to the right and looked out the window.

"You recognized him from your fantasy life, didn't you?"

Rose turned her head back and glared at him.

"Yes, I did, except it wasn't a fantasy, I keep telling you that."

"Who was he, Rose?"

Rose sighed angrily.

"Please, Rose, I want to know who he was to you."

"Why do you care?"

"Because I'm trying to help you, I want you to get better." Foster said imploringly. "I am not trying to mislead you in any way. I'm your friend, Rose. I just want to know who you thought he was."

Rose sighed.

"He was the Doctor." She said fiddling with the hem of her scrub top.

Foster frowned.

"But…I thought David McDonald was the Doctor." He said.

Rose looked him straight in the eyes.

"David looks like the Doctor now. Doctor Eccleston looks like the Doctor in his former life."

"Oh, I see. So, Doctor Eccleston represents the Doctor that died to save your life."

"Yeah."

"Interesting, so that makes three people here that you've associated with your other life."

"I didn't make the Doctor up." Rose snarled.

Foster held his hands up.

"Rose, calm down, alright?" He said. "I'm just saying that you keep seeing people you know from your travels with the Doctor."

"Yeah, imagine that."

"And now apparently you've seen someone who has died?" Foster said leaning forward and putting his arms on the desk. "Someone that technically shouldn't be around now, is that right?"

Rose bit her lip and nodded.

"If the Doctor is real, Rose and we're just having you on, then how do you explain the Doctor's former self being in the same place as the Doctor?"

Rose looked at her hands.

"The…Doctor said it's happened before." She muttered to herself.

"What's happened?"

Rose looked at him.

"There have been a couple of times when other Doctors have been pulled out of their time streams and brought together."

"And you think that's why your two Doctors are together now?"

Rose stared at him.

"I thought they weren't my Doctors." She said.

"What I'm trying to find out is if you think they are." Foster said.

Rose thought for a moment and then shook her head.

"No, I don't think they're my Doctors and I don't think John is Jack." She said.

"Then, how do you explain all of this?"

Rose thought for a moment.

"I…I can't." she admitted.

Foster opened his mouth to speak, but Rose cut him to the quick.

"It's not a delusion though!" she said. "I know it's not, the Doctor is real and so is Jack and so was my other Doctor. My Doctor is out there somewhere looking for me and it'll only be a matter of time until he finds me."

She glared when she noticed the patronizing look on Foster's face.

"And now if you don't mind, I'm tired, so I'd like to go back to my room now." Rose said trying to keep calm.

"Of course, Rose. Go back and have a rest. I only had time to talk to you for a moment anyway."

Rose nodded. She rose from her seat.

"Have a nice day." Foster said smiling.

"Yeah, you too." Rose muttered.

Without another word, Rose turned and walked out the door as Foster quickly jotted down some notes.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Rose wandered the corridors completely bored. David had done his rounds for the moment and had gone to the break room to relax. There was nothing to do except listen to the howls and screams and demented prattle of the other inmates.

She turned a corner and stopped short. A middle-aged lady was standing just outside one of the rooms chatting with a man. For a moment, she stared at her thinking she had seen her before and then it hit her.

"Cassandra." She murmured.

It was Cassandra the way she looked before she had been transformed into a talking piece of skin. Hesitantly, she walked towards her.

"Yes, I just got done getting another nip and tuck." She was saying to the man. "It's the fifth time I've had work done on my face. It's expensive, but I think it's worth it. One must do everything one can to combat aging, you know."

Cassandra turned and stared at Rose.

"Yes, what do you want?" she said coldly as she eyed her.

"Um, I overheard you talking about plastic surgery and I thought I'd listen in." Rose said.

"Why, have you had some work done in the past?" she said.

Rose shook her head.

"Well, you should. Your face is homely. Your nose is far too big and you need your chin done."

Rose's mouth dropped open.

"Excuse me?" she said angrily.

"I'm just telling you the truth, dearie. " Cassandra said with a smirk. "You are far too plain looking. You need to fix yourself up a bit. Personally, I wouldn't be you for all the money in the world."

"Funny, you should say that." Rose muttered.

"Cassandra, dear, why don't you go lie back down." The man said. "I need to go anyway. My lunch break is almost over."

Cassandra nodded.

"Very well, I do feel exhausted after being under the knife for several hours. Perfection takes time and energy, you know."

She gave Rose a disdainful look.

"Of course, some people wouldn't know anything about that." She said.

Rose fought the urge to ruin Cassandra's carefully sculpted face while the man escorted her back into her room. She turned to leave when she suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. She looked back at the man.

"I apologize for that. My wife is very ill. She has very low self esteem so she makes up these fantasy trips to the plastic surgeon and tells everyone her face is being worked on to make herself feel more beautiful. You're not the only one she's made fun of, trust me."

"I understand." Rose said.

"Good, because you can't believe anything my wife says. I love her to bits, but the woman is crackers. Anyway, I hope you have a great day."

"You too." Rose replied.

He patted her on the shoulder and walked off. Rose started down the corridor when she suddenly heard Cassandra yelling from her room.

"CHIP!"

Rose froze and her eyes widened as a little, pale man came out of the room across from Cassandra's. She recognized him as Cassandra's servant. The only difference between this Chip and the Chip back on New Earth was he didn't have paisley print tattooed all over his body.

"Yes, Cassandra?" Chip said walking over to her door.

"Chip, dear, could you go trouble someone for a cup of tea for me? I'm absolutely parched after my session today."

"Yes, Cassandra, at once."

He started to walk off.

"Oh, and Chip?"

Chip rushed back to the door.

"Yes, Cassandra?"

"If that horrid girl is still hanging outside my room, will you chase her away? I don't like common people near my room; it messes up the vibrations of my surroundings. I had a feng shui expert come in once and arrange everything so that I'll get nothing but positive energy. I don't want an ugly girl around giving off negative energy and darkening my mood. So, be a dear and get rid of her if she's still there, will you? "

Chip frowned.

"Um…yes, Cassandra." He said confused.

"Thank you, dear."

He looked around and noticed Rose standing nearby. He scurried up to her.

"Um, are you the ugly girl my Cassandra is talking about?" he said.

Rose rolled her eyes.

"Yes, and trust me, I'm going. I don't want to upset her good vibes with my ugly, common face."

"Good, because the last thing she needs is to be upset. She's a very delicate and frail woman."

Rose snorted at that. Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked the other way.

"Okay, so that makes five people now that I've known from my travels with the Doctor. What's next, a Krillitaine aide or a Dalek psychiatrist? Maybe the clockwork robots are doing maintenance around here somewhere."

She wandered into the TV room and sat down beside Florence. She smiled at Rose.

"Has Pat the Postman come yet, love?" she asked her.

Rose gave her a polite smile.

"Um, no, not yet."

"He will. He's just out making his rounds." Florence said patting her hand.

Rose smiled at her. Despite her mental illness, Florence was a very nice woman and good company. She settled back in the couch and watched some chat show with her.

As she did, she became aware of someone sitting down next to her. She looked over and her eyes nearly popped out of her head.

"Adam?" she said in disbelief.

The traitorous former companion turned his head and stared at her.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" he said.

"Um…no, I guess not. I'm Rose."

Adam smiled at her.

"Nice to meet you, Rose. I guess you know who I am."

_All too well._ Rose thought to herself.

"Are you new here?" Adam asked.

"Um…No, I guess not. I guess I've been here for two years." Rose replied.

"Wow, long time."

Rose nodded.

"How about you?"

"Oh, I just got admitted a couple of days ago. I have a problem."

"Yeah, I gathered that if you're stuck in here." Rose said. "What's your problem?"

"I'm a…kleptomaniac. I love stealing things." Adam said softly as he looked at his hands.

He jerked his head up when he heard Rose laugh.

"What? What's so funny?" he asked.

Rose cleared her throat.

"Nothing, I just thought of something funny." She said.

"Oh, well, I'm glad you can find something to laugh about in here." He said. "I'm completely miserable. I was living with my mum and my dog and then they brought me in here and----"

He stopped speaking when he saw Rose snap her fingers and stare at his forehead intently.

"Um, what are you doing?" he asked her.

"Nothing, just part of my illness. I feel the need to click my fingers every once in awhile. It's a bad habit." She said.

"Oh, okay, I guess." Adam said confused.

He sighed and looked around him. Rose watched as his eyes were drawn to a nearby table. He looked around him making sure none of the aides were watching and then slowly he rose up. Rose watched as he walked over to the table, looked around one more time and then picked up a tiny frog figurine and stuffed it in the pocket of his trousers. Rose bit her lip trying not to laugh as he snuck out of the TV room.

"So I guess he really couldn't control himself when he tried to steal that information from Satellite Five." She muttered to herself.

She settled back in the seat and tried to watch the chat show, but ended up being bored again. Suddenly, she had an idea. She hadn't been outside yet. Maybe if she took a little stroll, it would make her feel better. She got up from her seat and walked out the door.

She walked down the corridors trying to find a door to the outside. She finally found one and was about to open it when she noticed a small sign on it.

DO NOT OPEN.

ALARM WILL SOUND.

Rose sighed and walked on trying to find another door. She turned a corridor and found a door leading out to the courtyard. She looked at it and saw the same small warning sign.

"Damn." Rose muttered.

She paused a moment, thinking.

"Guess I'll just have to get a nurse or an aide to let me out then." She muttered.

She walked back the other way towards the nurse's station. She found a couple of nurses sitting behind the desk chatting amicably. They looked at Rose as she walked up to them.

"Yes?" one of the nurses said.

"I wanted to go outside and I need someone to open the door for me so the alarm doesn't sound." She said to them.

"Your name?"

"Rose Tyler."

The nurse picked up a clipboard and glanced through it.

"Says here you are on restriction." The nurse said looking at her.

"What does that mean?"

"It means you aren't allowed to go outside."

"What? Why not?" Rose demanded putting her hands on her hips.

"You are a flight risk."

Rose stared at her in shock.

"I just want to go outside for awhile. I'm not trying to run away."

"I'm sorry, but we're not allowed to let you outdoors. Doctor Foster said that you are liable to hurt yourself or others if you are allowed to be out without supervision."

"Then send a bleedin' aide out there to watch me!" she said angrily. "All I wanna do is go outside in the courtyard! I'm sick and tired of being cooped up in here!"

"Miss Tyler, you will calm down or we will give you a sedative." The nurse said sternly.

Rose sighed angrily.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry." She said calming down.

She thought a moment.

"Doctor Foster is the one who ordered me to stay in here?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Then he's the one who can lift the ban."

The nurses glanced at each other.

"Yes, but I doubt he will. You are still very unstable, Miss Tyler. There's no telling what you might do."

Rose opened her mouth to say something nasty and then thought better of it.

"Well, I guess I'll just go talk to him and see if I can't convince him otherwise." She said.

The nurse shrugged.

"Be my guest." She said.

Rose turned and walked off. The nurses looked at each other, shook their heads and went back to their conversation.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"Come in."

Foster looked up from his desk as Rose came into his office.

"Oh, good afternoon Rose, what do you need?" he asked.

He gestured to the seat in front of him.

"Please sit down."

"No, that's okay. I'm fine." Rose replied.

"Then, why are you here?"

"I want to go outside."

Foster paused a moment.

"I see," he finally said. "May I ask why?"

"Because I'm bored and I'm tired of being stuck in this building all bloody day."

Foster opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out her file. He opened it up and looked through the papers until he found the page he was looking for.

"I have a paper here that I filled out a year ago that says you're a flight risk and are not permitted to leave the building." He said.

"I'm not trying to run away, I just want to go outside in the courtyard and sit." Rose protested.

"But, you did try to escape. That's why I had to make out this order. You were allowed to be outside until a year ago when you tried to scale the walls of the courtyard and escape. When they tried to get you to stop, you got physical with the aides and hit one of them in the face and broke his nose. That's why you are banned. You lost the privilege of going outdoors the moment you took a swing at that aide."

"I did no such thing."

"I'm afraid you did, Rose."

"Then how come I don't remember it?"

"You were on your meds at the time."

"So, what you're saying is I tried to bust out of here even though I was heavily sedated."

"You weren't on a sedative at that time. They started giving that to you after that incident."

"And…so, after I started taking this sedative, I just automatically forgot everything." Rose said.

"Well, yes."

Rose came towards the desk.

"When I was thirteen, my mum's car was hit by a drunk driver and she broke her leg. She was given Oxycontin to relieve the pain until the leg healed. She was out of it a lot of the time, but when she was taken off the drug, she still remembered the car accident. Come to think of it, she remembered the accident while she was on the meds because she was seeing a lawyer to try to sue the other driver. Oxycontin is a pretty powerful painkiller. So you tell me, Doctor Foster, how is she still able to remember things she did after taking the medication and yet when I took this sedative my memories just magically vanished from my brain?"

"Medications affect different people in different ways."

Rose rolled her eyes.

"Don't give me that. The reason I can't remember it is because it never happened."

"I can assure you it did happen. I have the incident report to prove it."

"So? You could have just made the whole thing up just like all the other documents in my so-called file. I'm not an idiot, Doctor Foster. I am capable of knowing when someone is lying to me and frankly, you are spreading the bullshit on pretty thick."

Foster sighed.

"For the hundredth time, Rose, no one is lying to you. I suspect the reason you don't remember it is because you were lost in your fantasy world at the time."

"THE DOCTOR IS NOT A FANTASY!" Rose screamed.

"I beg to differ, Rose!" Foster yelled back. "I'm sorry, I realize you've been through some major trauma, but think about it. A 900-year-old time traveling alien who flies around in a police box? Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? Can't you see it's not real?"

"IT IS REAL!"

"Then where is your proof?" Foster challenged. "So far all I've seen of this other life of yours is two aides and a psychiatrist who just happen to look like your friends. Where's the tangible evidence that your travels with the Doctor are more than just a fantasy? Show me, Rose! Because I really would like to believe that there is an alien called the Doctor who flies through time and space doing good."

He folded his arms across his chest.

"Show me." He said.

Rose stared at him silently.

"Well? I'm waiting."

She sighed.

"The only physical proof I have is my TARDIS key."

"Okay, let's see it then."

"I don't have it on me. You lot must have stolen it from me when I first came here."

"Or…you never had it to begin with."

"Trust me, I had it."

"Well, I don't know what to tell you then. I was present when they checked you in and put all your clothes into storage and I didn't see any key on you. And trust me, they searched every pocket before your clothes were stored away. Did you carry this key on your person at all times?"

"Yes, on a chain around my neck."

"Well, there was no key on a chain around your neck either."

"I don't believe you."

Foster sighed.

"Then, we are at an impasse. I'm only trying to help you recover. But, I can't help you get better if you keep resisting the treatment."

"I don't want treatment. I want out of here!"

"I can't let you go."

"Oh, yes you can. I'm an adult which means I'm capable of checking myself out of here if I want to."

"No, you don't have that right because your being here is court ordered."

"Then I wanna see the judge."

Foster sighed.

"What? I don't have the right to contest my being here?" Rose said.

"Yes, Rose, you have that right, but we just can't get in the car and pop round to the judge's chambers. We'll have to schedule a hearing for you and I'm sure it will take awhile before you can appear in court, probably a few months wait at least."

"Then get on the phone and get the process started."

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, I want to do this! I want out of here as soon as possible!"

"Rose, I seriously don't think the judge is going to agree to this. You're not well yet."

"I beg to differ. I am perfectly well and completely sane." Rose said jutting out her chin.

Foster said nothing, but Rose could tell he was just aching to say a sarcastic comment.

"In the meantime, I would like to have permission to go outside." Rose said when Foster stayed silent.

"Permission denied."

"Why?"

"Because Rose, I don't trust you. Despite what you think, you are very sick and I don't know what you will do. For all I know you'll try to escape and go off looking for the Doctor. You're desperate to leave and that means you are capable of trying anything to do it. I'm not gonna have you break another aide's nose. I'm sorry, but I want you inside where you won't have the temptation to escape right in front of you."

"I'll find a way to leave."

"I would advise against that. You don't want to be sedated and restrained in your room and that's exactly what will happen if they catch you trying to leave."

"Why don't you want me to leave?"

"I told you my reasons."

"I don't believe you. I think you don't want me to go outside because you are hiding something."

"Really? What are we hiding then? The Doctor? The TARDIS?"

"Are ya?"

He sighed.

"No, we aren't. I told you, they don't exist."

"Then what's the harm in letting me go outside?"

"Rose, I'm not gonna argue with you anymore. I have a client coming in a few minutes, so please go to your room or go watch TV or do something to occupy your time other than bothering me."

"I wanna go out."

"Well, I don't know what to tell you, I'm not giving you permission to go out."

"Please? Just send an aide out with me. I promise I won't try to---"

"NO! I said no and I mean no!" Foster roared. "Now for the last time, go back to your room before I get someone to escort you there!"

Rose glared at him for a moment before spinning and stomping out the door.

Foster sighed when she slammed it shut behind her.

"This girl is more trouble than she's worth." He muttered.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Rose could barely contain her anger as she stomped down the corridor.

"Wanker! I'll show him. I'll find a way out of this place without his bloody permission."

She turned the corner and gasped when she nearly ran into David.

"Whoa! Watch where you're going! You nearly ran me over!" he said to her.

He frowned when he saw her rage.

"What's wrong, Rose?" he said gently.

"I can't leave the building, that's what's wrong!" Rose spat out.

"You can't, why?"

Rose sighed.

"Apparently I tried to escape a year ago and broke some guy's nose."

David thought for a moment.

"Oh yeah, I remember that." He said.

Rose sighed.

"Oh God, not you too." She muttered.

"What?"

"That never happened, David. I never hit anyone."

She paused.

"Anyone here." She added.

"I wasn't there personally, Rose, all I know is what people told me." David said shrugging.

"Well, even if it did happen, it's been a whole bloody year. All I want to do is go outside and get some fresh air."

David smiled.

"I can understand that. The urine smell gets to me too sometimes."

"It's not just that. I'm just so bored, I could scream."

She looked at David.

"Are you going back to your rounds?" she asked.

"Not just yet, why?"

"You can take me outside. Just for a few minutes, please?"

David rubbed the back of his head.

"Um, I'm not so sure that's a good idea, Rose. If you're on restriction and they catch you outside, we'll both get in trouble."

"No, we won't. Just tell the nurses that Foster said you could take me outside. Please, David, I won't cause any trouble. I just want to walk around the courtyard for a bit. Please!"

"Weeeell…I…uh…"

Rose watched as he debated whether or not to take her outside. Looking at him, she suddenly had an idea. If he was anything like her Doctor…

David looked over as Rose came up to his right shoulder, smiled at him and batted her eyelashes.

"Please." She cooed. "I want to go outside so badly. Please take me outside."

She stared right into his eyes and gave him the smile that had the power to melt the Doctor's hearts and make him give in to anything. Her smile widened when she saw it was working.

"Pretty please?" she cooed.

David sighed and looked around him.

"Ten minutes and that's it, alright?" he said.

"That's fine." Rose said shrugging.

She hesitated a moment and then gave him a quick peck on the cheek. She giggled when his face turned crimson.

"Thank you." She said sweetly.

"Don't thank me just yet. Thank me if we get back inside without anyone noticing what we've done." David muttered.

He looked around him.

"Follow me and keep quiet." He said to her.

Rose nodded. She walked along behind him as he headed for the nurse's station.

The nurse on duty looked up when David stepped up and grabbed a clipboard.

"I'm taking Rose Tyler outside for ten minutes." He said signing a piece of paper.

"Miss Tyler is on restriction." The nurse said firmly.

"Doctor Foster gave me permission to escort her outside." David replied.

The nurse stared at him in shock. She looked over at Rose who was giving her a smug grin. She narrowed her eyes.

"Doctor Foster approved this?" she asked David.

"Yes, he did."

The nurse looked back at Rose and looked at David.

"Let me call him and see if he really did approve this." The nurse said picking up the phone receiver.

Rose's heart skipped a beat. She glanced up at David and saw the fear in his eyes. Guilt flooded her mind. If Foster did find out and fired David, it would be all her fault. Even though he wasn't her Doctor, she loved seeing him day in and day out. Not only did he resemble the Doctor, but he was also good company and one of the few people in the building who didn't treat her like an animal or a nuisance.

Just as the nurse began to dial Foster's extension, an aide came running up to the desk.

"Bridget, we need your help. Max is going crazy. He needs to be sedated before he hurts someone." He said gasping for breath.

Nurse Bridget cursed as she slammed the receiver down and leapt from her chair. Rose and David watched as she grabbed a small box off her med cart and followed the aide back down the hall.

"Now, David, while she's distracted." Rose urged.

David hesitated a moment unsure of what to do. Then, with a sigh, he ran around the desk, pulled open the top drawer and got the spare set of keys. Closing it, he ran back around.

"Hurry." He said to Rose.

Rose nodded and the two of them ran off down the hall.

They reached the door to the courtyard and David inserted the key in the lock, turned it and opened the door.

"Be quick." He said.

Rose nodded and stepped outside. Her eyes widened and she gasped when her foot hit the footpath. Not only did being outdoors feel weird to her, she could have sworn the air rippled in front of her for a moment. Rose put her hand up and extended it in front of her. There it was again, the ripple effect.

"David? What's going on?" Rose said turning.

She gasped when she saw David. He wasn't dressed in his scrubs anymore. He was dressed as the Doctor.

"Doctor?" Rose said hardly daring to believe it.

Then, to her astonishment, the Doctor's clothes morphed back into David's scrubs.

"Rose?" David said. "Are you alright? You look scared."

"What's going on here?" Rose said.

She gasped when the scrubs morphed back into the Doctor's clothes.

"What do you mean, what's going on?"

Rose's mouth dropped open. David wasn't speaking in his Scottish accent. He was speaking as the Doctor.

"Doctor, is that you?" Rose said reaching out her hand to touch him.

The clothes morphed back into the scrubs.

"No, I'm not the Doctor." David said in his Scottish accent. "I'm David, remember?"

Rose stared at him in shock.

"Rose, are you alright?" David said frowning. "Angel, talk to me. Tell me what's wrong."

Rose was taken aback.

"Angel. When did you start calling me that? Only the Doctor called me…"

She trailed off when the scrubs morphed back into the clothes.

"Rose?" David said with the Doctor's accent. "Rose, you're starting to scare me."

"I'm scaring myself." Rose murmured.

"Rose?"

She forced herself to turn away from him. Her eyes widened when she saw what was behind her. The courtyard was gone, replaced by a small dark room. She frowned and stared at it. It took her a moment to realize that she was looking up at the ceiling. She turned her head to the right and saw she was lying on a small bed and some kind of IV was hooked into her arm. She could see computers and control panels with multicolored blinking lights sitting against the far wall. She stared at it in confusion. Then, suddenly, the room morphed back into the courtyard.

"Where am I? What is this place?" Rose murmured.

She turned back around and gasped when she saw Foster standing in front of her.

"I believe I told you not to come out here." Foster said angrily.

He snatched her wrist. Beyond him, Rose could see David standing inside the building with an apologetic look on his face.

"Who are you?" Rose said looking back at Foster. "Where am I? What's happened to me?"

"I'm afraid you're gonna have to be sedated, Rose." Foster said. "Seems you can't follow the rules."

"No! Leave me alone!"

Rose tried to pull away, but Foster's grip was like iron.

"Time for bed, Rose." He said.

"No! Let me go! Doctor! DOCTOR!" Rose screamed as he began to drag her away.

She reached out a hand towards David, but he just stood there staring at her helplessly.

"DOCTOR!" Rose screamed as Foster dragged her down the hall to her room. "DOCTOR! HELP! WHEREVER YOU ARE, HELP ME!"


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

_Did you see that? She managed to breach the perimeters._

_This one is strong both in body and in will. Perhaps we underestimated her._

_What do we do? __We can't let her escape. She'll find the Doctor and bring him right to us._

_We will keep her mind under sedation for now until the brainwashing is complete and then there will be no need to restrain her anymore. We will send her back to the Doctor and she will destroy the Time Lord and then we will have free reign over the universe!_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Doctor sighed as he sat on the captain's chair. He had tried everything he could think of and he still couldn't figure out what had happened to Rose or what the black mist was. He ran his hand through his hair.

"At this rate, it'll take years to find her." He muttered to himself. "If only there was some way of getting in touch with her so she can let me know where she's at."

The Doctor folded his arms over his chest as he leaned back in the chair. He stared at the floor as he thought to himself. Then suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration. He looked up at the ceiling.

"Rose is connected to you, isn't she? She took the vortex within her body and that linked her to you, didn't it?"

The TARDIS rumbled out an affirmative.

The Doctor leapt up hardly daring to believe his luck.

"Can you trace her mind through the link?" he asked.

The TARDIS rumbled out another affirmative.

"Then do it, girl, find Rose. Lead me to her." He said.

The TARDIS let out another rumble and then fell silent as she reached out into the universe and tried to find her.

"At last, we're getting somewhere." The Doctor said. "Come on, old girl, don't fail me now."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rose lay numbly in her bed. Leather restraints were wrapped around her wrists. They were attached to the bedrails keeping her imprisoned in the bed. Foster had dragged her struggling and screaming into the room and several aides had helped to restrain her in the bed as Foster prepared a syringe filled with sedative. David and John had not been among the aides and she was thankful for that. She considered them her friends and it would have broken her heart to know that they were helping Foster sedate her. She ached wondering what had happened to David. Did he get fired for what he had done? She hoped not. It was her fault he got in trouble. She was the one who sweet-talked him into taking her outside. But, she was sure that would mean nothing to Foster or anyone else. He probably got sacked as soon as she was out of sight.

She stared silently up at the ceiling. What had happened to David when she was outside? Why did he keep changing into the Doctor and what was the strange room she had glimpsed briefly? She knew now that something was going on here, but what? She struggled to think back to when she had last been with the Doctor. She remembered being in the TARDIS with him, sitting side by side on the captain's chair laughing and talking with him and then…she remembered the TARDIS going haywire. She had walked over towards the front door while the Doctor tried to stabilize the ship and then…

She frowned as she remembered a blackness coming upon her. A deep, thick darkness that was so solid she felt like she could reach out and touch it. Then…she woke up and she was here. But, how did she get from there to here? The rapid-fire questions confused her drug-addled mind and she found herself getting a headache.

She saw some movement out of the corner of her eye and she turned her head slowly. Her eyes widened when she saw John standing in the doorway looking at her.

"John! Help me!" she slurred out. "Please release me."

John said nothing. He came into the room and stared down at her.

"Why did you try to escape, Rose?" he said in a cold, expressionless tone of voice.

Rose frowned at him.

"I…wasn't escaping. I just wanted to go outside for a moment." She said slowly.

"You were told not to go out, Rose."

"I…know that, John, but I was tired of being in here all day."

"You need to be in here. You need to complete your therapy. You need to get better. The therapy will help you if you just accept it."

Rose stared at him. There was none of the warmth on his face or in his eyes that she saw whenever he would stop to talk to her in the halls. There was only a hard, cold look of disdain now.

"I don't need the therapy." She protested.

"YES, YOU DO!"

Rose was taken aback when John yelled that at her.

"John, what's wrong with you?" she asked. "Why are you acting like this?"

"Because I am angry with you, Rose. I am angry that you are not doing what you are supposed to be doing."

"But all I wanted was to go outside."

"You were forbidden from going outside. If you had listened and obeyed, you wouldn't be in the mess you are now." John said coldly.

Rose stared at him.

"Where is David? I want to talk to him." She said.

"David is gone."

Rose shut her eyes as her worst fear was confirmed.

"They didn't have to get rid of him." She said to John.

"Yes, they did. David disobeyed. He wouldn't get with the program so he had to be terminated."

John leaned over.

"I suggest you get with the program, Rose, before you find yourself terminated along with him."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

John said nothing. He leaned back up and without another word turned and left the room.

Rose looked up at the ceiling as her sluggish mind tried to process what John had just said. Terminated? What did he mean by that? And why was he suddenly so cold and distant towards her? Rose sighed angrily. One way or another she was going to find out what really was going on here.

She lay there silently staring up at the ceiling. Suddenly, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye again. She sighed figuring John was back again, but when she turned her head she saw a beautiful woman standing beside her bed. She had long, flowing brown hair that reached down to the middle of her back and she was dressed in a long, navy blue robe with gold trim. Rose stared up at her wondering if the woman was some drug-induced hallucination.

"Hello, Rose." The woman said, smiling at her.

"Um…hi." Rose said hesitantly. "Who are you?"

"I am the TARDIS."

Rose's eyes boggled.

"Now, I know I'm nuts." She muttered. "It's bad enough I'm seeing the Doctor and Jack and my enemies in here, now I'm thinking the Doctor's bleedin' ship is a woman."

"You are not crazy, Rose. I am very real. I use this form whenever I wish to interact with the Doctor directly. He asked me to come find you and use the link we share to lead him to you."

Rose perked up.

"The Doctor is real, then?" she said.

The TARDIS chuckled softly.

"Of course he's real, my precious Rose. Why do you doubt that?" she said smiling warmly.

"Because everyone here is trying to tell me he's some fantasy character I made up." Rose said to her.

The TARDIS put her hand on Rose's shoulder.

"They are trying to brainwash you, Rose, resist it." She said to her. "I will bring the Doctor to you, but you must stay strong in the meantime. Do not believe their lies. The Doctor is real and so am I. He is searching for you. He has been searching ever since you were taken from him. I will guide him, but it will take awhile. You must be patient."

Rose nodded.

"Can't you take me with you?" she asked. "Can't you free me and take me with you?"

The TARDIS sighed sadly.

"I cannot, my beloved, I'm sorry." She said.

"But, why? I can feel your hand. You're real. Why can't you untie me and take me with you? Please take me with you, please!"

The TARDIS looked like she was about to cry.

"Dearest Rose, don't you know where you are?" she said to her.

Rose paused.

"I'm in Bethlem Royal Hospital near Croydon." She said.

"No, Rose, you aren't. You are on a spaceship that is flying through space."

Rose stared at her.

"What?"

The TARDIS leaned down and stroked her hair.

"Dearest Rose, you are hooked up to a brainwashing machine. You aren't awake. Everything that's been happening to you has been in your head. It's a program they are using to make you doubt the Doctor's existence so they can brainwash you. That is why I cannot take you with me."

Rose stared at her in shock.

"I'm imagining being here." She said.

"Yes, beloved Rose, they are making you imagine it."

Then, that's why when I went outside it rippled. I was going beyond their program and waking back up? And David and the others? They're my memories and that's why they look like people I know, is that it?"

"I do not know the answer to that. I can only tell you what is happening now. You are physically unconscious at the moment. The only way you can be freed is if I bring the Doctor to your body and he frees you that way."

"Then please bring him to me. I want to go home." Rose begged as a tear fell down her cheek.

The TARDIS kissed the tear away.

"I will, Rose, don't worry. I will go straight away and lead the Doctor to you. Just remember what I've said. Everything here is an illusion and everything they tell you is a lie. Don't believe any of it."

Rose nodded. The TARDIS looked around and then stood up.

"I must go now before I am detected." She said. "Do not lose hope, the Doctor is coming and he will save you, stay strong for him. Fight their influence."

"I will."

The TARDIS smiled lovingly at her. Rose ached as she watched a bright light envelop her friend and then she vanished from sight.

"Oh, Doctor, please hurry and find me." She whispered. "Before it's too late."


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

The Doctor paced back and forth in front of his console.

"Come on, come on." He muttered.

He stopped short when he saw a flash of light and the TARDIS's hologram appeared in front of him.

"I have found her, Doctor." She said.

The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief.

"I know where she is, but you must hurry. They are trying to brainwash her and make her forget us."

"No."

The TARDIS nodded.

"When I talked to her, she was unconscious physically. Her mind was trapped inside their brainwashing program and they had her convinced it was the real world. She wanted me to take her with me and when I told her that she was asleep, she didn't believe it at first."

She stepped towards the Doctor.

"Their brainwashing is starting to take hold. She actually asked me if you were real when I told her who I was."

The color drained from the Doctor's face as he cursed under his breath.

"Do you know where they are keeping her?" he asked.

"I do. I have put the coordinates into the computer."

"Then take me there, hurry, we haven't a moment to lose."

The TARDIS nodded. There was another flash and the hologram vanished. The Doctor felt the TARDIS turn around and go back the other way.

"Hold on, Rose, I'm coming." He said as he sat back down in the captain's chair.

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Rose stared up at the ceiling. She could feel the effects of the sedative wearing off, so she figured it would only be a matter of time before they came in to give her another dose. Or...give her another dose and make her imagine an aide was administering it. It was confusing to her now, but she was determined not to let herself be brainwashed by whoever it was that had captured her.

She frowned. Who had captured her? Was one of the people in here a representation of them? Was it Foster? Was there a real life Foster walking around in the real world trying to brainwash her into submission. And what were they brainwashing her for?

"Whatever the reason is, it's not good, that's for sure." Rose muttered to herself.

She looked over as John came back in the room. She gave him the same dispassionate look that he was giving her.

"What do you want?" Rose asked.

"Doctor Foster wants to see you." He said coldly.

_I just bet he does. _Rose thought.

She caught herself. She needed to guard her thoughts now that she knew this was all in her mind. She had no idea if they were monitoring what she was thinking, but she didn't want them to find out that she was on to their little game. She had no idea how far away the Doctor was and she didn't want them to move her or do something else in the meantime. She tried to keep herself from thinking anything that might give her away as John leaned over the bed.

"I'm going to untie you and you will come quietly with me or I will get more aides and we will drag you down to Doctor Foster's office, is that clear?"

"I won't put up a fight." Rose replied.

For a moment, John looked skeptical and Rose wondered if he was going to get the other aides. But then, he nodded and leaned over the bed. Rose put up no resistance as he undid the restraints and lowered the bedrail closest to him.

"Sit up slowly." He said.

Rose obeyed. She felt dizzy for a moment as she sat up and John put a hand behind her back to steady her. He let her get her bearings for a moment and then slowly she stood up. She teetered for a moment and then stood still looking up at John expectantly.

"You first." John said. "And remember what I said about causing trouble."

Rose nodded and slowly walked towards the door. John fell in behind her and she walked down the hall with his eyes monitoring her every step closely. As they walked, Rose felt loathing at whoever had done this to her. Using the memories of her best friend to make this pale copy of him filled her with anger and she longed to turn around and punch him. But, considering the fact that she was being controlled at the moment, she figured it wasn't a very good idea to piss off her captors. Instead, she kept her temper in check as she walked through the corridors towards Foster's office.

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John opened the door to Foster's office and ushered her inside. As he looked up from his desk, Rose noticed there was no warm smile or pleasant hello for her. Nope, he was all business now.

"Sit." He said pointing to the seat in front of him.

Rose did so without hesitation. Foster stared at her angrily.

"I believe I told you not to go outside." He said to her. "Why did you disobey me?"

"Because I wanted to go outside." Rose said calmly.

"You were told not to."

Rose shrugged.

"Well, I've never been much for following the rules."

Foster snorted at that. He folded his arms on his desk and glared at her.

"You do realize that David McDonald has now been terminated because of your irresponsible actions."

"Why is that? Because unlike a lot of people in here, he actually wants to help me?"

"I AM trying to help you, Rose! I have been trying to help you since day one! You are the one who is resisting the therapy. I keep telling you if you just went along with everything it would make your life so much easier!"

"I don't need therapy!"

"YES, YOU DO, ROSE!"

"NO, I DON'T! I AM FINE! I AM SANE AND I'M SICK OF BEING TOLD OTHERWISE! I WANT OUT OF HERE THIS INSTANT!"

"I told you that wasn't possible."

"And I told you to ring the bleedin' judge and make it possible." Rose snarled.

Foster regarded her silently.

"You are more trouble than you're worth." He said.

Rose smiled.

"Yup and I pride myself on that."

"You think this is a game?"

"I don't know, is it?" Rose shot back.

She smirked, as Foster didn't answer.

"Well, answer me, is it a game?" she said.

She shifted uneasily as Foster's eyes bored into her. Suddenly, she wondered if she just said too much.

She stared at Foster warily as he slowly rose from his seat and walked over to her. She started to get up and get away from him, but Foster grabbed her arm and jerked her back in the seat.

"What do you know?" he said giving her a scrutinizing look.

Rose swallowed as she fought to keep herself under control. Her heart was beating a mile a minute as he stared deeply into her eyes. Suddenly, she gasped as he grabbed her head and pressed his fingers up against her temples. Rose fought to get out of her seat and away from him, but her eyes widened when she found she couldn't move. Foster closed his eyes and Rose could only stare helplessly up at him as his brow furrowed in concentration. He stayed like that for a few minutes and then his eyes snapped open.

"The Doctor, he knows where you are." He said glaring at her.

Rose felt her heart beating out of her chest. She forced herself to put a confused look on her face.

"I thought you said the Doctor wasn't real." She said trying to keep her voice steady.

Foster rolled his eyes.

"Don't give me that, Rose. I've just seen into your mind. The Doctor's ship was here communicating with you. The Doctor is being led here at this very moment."

Rose decided to drop all pretenses.

"Yes, he is, and he'll find me and stop you just like I've always said he would." She said. "I knew all along that you were making everything up. Like I told you before, I'm not an idiot and I do know when people are lying to me."

Foster chuckled.

"Yes, I admit you are extremely clever for a human. I can see why you are his companion. But as clever as you were, you still had no idea that this was all in your mind until the Doctor's ship told you, so I would rethink the whole I know when people are lying to me line, if I were you, Rose."

"Why are you doing this to me?"

Foster stared at her for a moment.

"I suppose it won't hurt to let you know what's going on before we increase the intensity of the brainwashing program." He said.

Rose felt her blood run cold. She said a silent prayer that the Doctor would reach her in time.

"We kidnapped you, Rose, because we wanted to turn you into a willing assassin who would go back to the Doctor and kill him. That is why you were taken. The Doctor has meddled in other's affairs for far too long and now when we are on the eve of launching the weapon that will help us conquer the universe, we wish him out of the way since he is the only one who can stop us. We were planning to brainwash you subtly which is why we were going through with this whole pretense of therapy and trying to convince you the Doctor wasn't real, but since you've figured it out, we shall have to take your mind by force."

"The Doctor will stop you!" Rose said.

"No, my dear Rose, you will stop the Doctor. And then once he is dead, you will kill yourself and then there will be nothing to stop us from carrying out our plans."

"I'll never turn on the Doctor!"

"Oh no, let's just put that to the test then, shall we?"

Rose struggled to get up, but she was pinned to the chair. She watched helplessly as Foster walked over to his phone, picked up the receiver and dialed a two-digit number. He smiled at Rose as he spoke into the reciever.

"Computer, increase the dosage of the sedative." He said.

He watched quietly with the phone to his ear as Rose slowly stopped struggling. The smile widened when Rose's body became rigid and her eyes glazed over.

"Now increase the setting of the brainwashing program until it's at the maximum level." He said. "The Doctor is coming and we must have her under our control by the time he gets here."

He hung up the phone and sat back down.

"Now, let's see if you can keep from turning on the Doctor now, Rose." He said as he leaned back in his chair and watched her.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

The Doctor stood up when the TARDIS came to a stop and fell silent.

"I swear to Rassilon if they've hurt her…" he muttered as he grabbed his trench coat and walked towards the door.

As he finished putting it on, he stopped and thought for a moment. He looked up at the ceiling.

"I need to talk to you face to face." He said to her.

There was a flash of light and the hologram appeared in front of him.

"Yes, Doctor?" she said.

"Can you go back into the program and protect Rose's mind while I search for her?" he asked her.

"Yes I can do that, but know that there's a danger of me being trapped in the program with her."

The Doctor nodded.

"I know, normally I wouldn't ask you to do this, but I don't know who these people are or where Rose is and I need time to search. I'm scared of what they've done to her now and I don't want it to get worse"

"I will gladly do it for you, Doctor."

He smiled.

"Thank you. Be careful in there."

She smiled.

"And you be careful too, my Doctor."

He nodded. He straightened his trench coat and pocketed his sonic screwdriver in the right pocket as the hologram disappeared.

"Please don't let me be too late." He muttered as he opened the front door and went out.

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Foster chuckled to himself as he continued to watch Rose.

"Another few minutes and the brainwashing should be complete." He said.

He looked over at his phone when it started ringing. He picked up the receiver.

"Yes?" he said into it.

He listened and his face twisted with anger.

"No, he can't be here already. The program isn't done yet!" he said.

He listened for a moment and signed angrily.

"Very well, I will send her after him but I warn you she is not completely in our power yet."

He slammed the phone down and leapt up from his chair. Walking around the desk, he grabbed onto Rose's arm and jerked her to a standing position.

"Come with me, we have work to do." He hissed.

Rose stared blankly ahead as Foster jerked on her arm again. They both turned and he stopped short when he saw a brown haired woman standing in front of him.

"Who are you?" he said to her.

"I am the TARDIS. I have come to protect Rose Tyler's mind from your evil influence."

"You're too late." Foster sneered. "She belongs to us and very soon you will too. I think having the TARDIS's program will come in quite handy in the future."

He made a move to grab her, but was thrown back when the TARDIS raised her hand and a golden beam emanated from it and hit him in the chest.

"I think you will find that I am not that easy to capture." She said to him.

Foster roared and lunged for her, but was once more repelled by the beam.

"Care to try a third time?" the TARDIS said with mock sweetness.

Foster reached into his desk and pulled out his revolver.

"The Doctor will never have Rose Tyler; I will destroy her mind and turn her into a vegetable." He said aiming the gun at her.

He fired, but the TARDIS raised her hand in Rose's direction and a golden aura formed around her. Foster's mouth dropped open as the bullet bounced harmlessly off it.

"The Doctor was wise to ask me to come and protect Rose's mind." She said to Foster. "I see now that you are capable of doing anything to her."

Foster glared at her as he pressed a button on his desk. A moment later, the door flew open and John ran in.

"Grab her!" Foster screamed, pointing to the TARDIS.

John lunged at the TARDIS, but she quickly trapped him inside an aura. As Foster watched in shocked silence, the aura pulsated with light and John screamed as he was erased from existence. Once he was gone, she dropped her hand and turned to face Foster.

"Any other bright ideas?" she asked him.

Foster's face was white with terror. He ran around the desk and tried to run for the door, but he was stopped halfway there as an aura surrounded him.

"You have tormented my Rose long enough." She said to him. "It is time to end your evil existence."

"No!" Foster shrieked as the aura pulsated.

He pointed at the TARDIS.

"You haven't won yet!" he yelled at her. "You may have defeated me in here, but the real me is still in the real world!"

"Then my Doctor will defeat your other self very shortly." The TARDIS replied calmly. "As for you, goodbye and good riddance."

Foster screamed as a bright light surrounded him and then he was gone. The TARDIS lowered her hand and walked over to Rose.

"Rose, it's me." She said cupping her face with her hands. "It's the TARDIS, can you speak to me?"

Rose stared at her with a blank look on her face, but the TARDIS detected a glimmer of recognition behind her eyes. She breathed a sigh of relief knowing that they had managed to get to her before the brainwashing had been completed. She leaned forward and looked into her eyes.

"Rose, it's me. Can you speak?" she said looking for signs of life. "The Doctor is here, Rose. He's looking for you in the real world. You have to fight what they've done to you. Can you do that?"

She smiled. For an instant, there was the familiar look of determination she had seen in Rose's face before.

"That's it, Rose, fight! You can do it. You are strong. Stronger than they are. Resist it, Rose. Come back to us."

"TAR…DIS?" Rose murmured.

"Yes, Rose, it's me. Keep going. Fight."

"TARDIS." Rose said scrunching up her face.

"That's it, Rose. Come on, my brave little girl, come back to me."

She watched as Rose closed her eyes and concentrated. She held her face letting her know she was there giving her all the support she needed as Rose tried to shake off the effects of the brainwashing. The TARDIS smiled when she saw that Rose was winning the battle.

Finally, after a few minutes, Rose opened her eyes and the TARDIS saw that she was her old self again.

"My Rose, you've done it." The TARDIS said proudly.

Rose smiled and threw her arms around her friend's neck.

"I couldn't have done it without you." Rose said to her.

She paused.

"The Doctor, where is he?"

"He's in the real world, Rose. He's trying to find your body. He asked me to come in here to protect your mind and that's what I'm going to do. I just got you back and I dare anyone else to try to harm you now."

Rose smiled at that.

"What do we do now?" she asked the TARDIS.

"Now, we wait for the Doctor to do his job." The TARDIS said. "Hopefully, he'll be able to get to you before anyone harms you. In the meantime, I will find him and let him know that your mind is safe."

Rose nodded. A bright light enveloped the TARDIS and she vanished. Rose sighed as she glanced up at the ceiling.

"God, please let the Doctor find me before they kill my body." She murmured.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Doctor crept slowly down the darkened corridor. So far, there had been no sign of Rose and he was beginning to get nervous. Every second that passed meant they could get more of a hold on her mind. He glanced around him when he heard a noise and determined it was just a boiler switching on. He turned back around and gasped when he saw the TARDIS standing in front of him.

"Geez." He said putting his hand over his right heart.

"I'm sorry, Doctor, I didn't mean to startle you." The TARDIS said apologetically.

"No, it's alright, I'm just glad its you. What have you found out?"

"Rose's mind is safe."

"Thank Rassilon." The Doctor murmured.

"I got to her just in time, the brainwashing program was nearly finished. I managed to destroy the avatars that were threatening her and bring her mind back to normal."

The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you. Now, please, go back to her and make sure she's alright while I finish looking for her."

"Of course, good luck." She said.

The Doctor held out his hand.

"Wait!" he said.

The TARDIS looked at him.

"Yes?"

"I have an idea. Go into their computer here and see if you can find where Rose's body is being held." He said.

The TARDIS nodded and vanished. The Doctor waited for her, looking around nervously. A few minutes later, the TARDIS reappeared.

"She is close. Go up this corridor, turn right and it's the fifth door on the left."

"Thank you." He said.

The TARDIS nodded and vanished. The Doctor reached into his pocket and gripped the handle of his screwdriver as he took off running down the hallway.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

The door slid open and the Doctor held his sonic screwdriver out at arm's length as he looked around for any sign of enemies. Seeing none, he lowered it to his side and ran in the room. His hearts skipped a beat when he saw Rose lying on a low bed across the room from him. An IV was hooked into her arm and probes were attached to either side of her head. He ran over and knelt down beside her.

"Oh Rose, at last." He murmured.

He put his hand on her head, aching as he stared at her face. She looked so peaceful, but the Doctor knew she was anything but.

"I'm here, Rose, I'll free you from this and then we can go home." He murmured.

He stood up and looked at the control panel directly behind her. The probes were attached to it and he stared at the array of blinking lights and switches as he tried to figure out which one he needed to push to end the program. He raised a finger as his eyes roved over the buttons and switches. Finally, after a process of elimination, he guessed that it was a small orange button down near Rose's head.

"Here goes nothing." He muttered to himself.

He put his finger on the button.

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you."

The Doctor jerked around and saw a red-haired man glaring at him. He was dressed in black leather and he had a blaster aimed at the Doctor's head.

"Sorry, but I just can't resist touching buttons." The Doctor said shrugging. "I'm just a born button pusher."

"Cute." The man replied. "Now if you'll just step away from Miss Tyler, I will refrain from making a huge hole in your head."

"Actually, I quite like this spot. I think I'll stay right here." The Doctor replied.

The man came into the room.

"I said…step away from her."

"And I said no. So, back to you." The Doctor replied.

"I will shoot you!"

"What, and miss out on the opportunity to have my brainwashed companion off me? After all, I though that was the whole reason behind her kidnapping. So, she'd become a mindless assassin and kill me? Surely, you wouldn't go through all the trouble of thinking up an elaborate brainwashing program and let it go to waste."

"You're right, what better way to get rid of you than to have Rose do it." He said.

He pulled out a small remote and hit a button.

"Aw, nuts, now I won't know if my choice was correct." The Doctor said disappointed as the machine switched off.

The Doctor looked down as Rose began to stir.

"Oh no, my former companion turned hit woman is waking up. Oh, what will become of yours truly now?" The Doctor said with mock horror. "How shall I ever defeat her? Dare I harm the woman I care about?"

"You won't be so quick to mock me when Rose gets through with you."

He grinned as Rose sat up and looked at the Doctor. There was a long pause and then Rose said.

"Doctor?"

"Yup, it's me, did you have a nice nap?"

"No, I had a lousy nap." Rose said pulling the IV out of her arm.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, Rose. Don't worry, you can take a nap when we get back home." He said patting her on the back.

He looked over at the man who was staring at Rose in shock.

"Oh yeah, forgot to mention that my ship went into your program and reversed the effects of your brainwashing, so she's back to normal now. Sorry, I hope you didn't put too much time and effort into it."

Rose looked at the man and gasped.

"It's him, Doctor, its Doctor Foster. He was my psychiatrist in the simulation." She said standing up beside him.

"Actually, my name is Protorius. Doctor Foster is the human alias I chose for the simulation. You may notice that I'm not quite as fat or nearsighted either. All that was so you would believe what was going on while you were slowly being brainwashed."

"Along with using my memories to make the people in the asylum." Rose said.

"Correct, everything we did was designed to make you doubt the Doctor's existence so you would not hesitate to kill him."

"Why do you want to kill him? Who are you?" she asked.

"Ah, well, I am just an average guy with big plans to rule the universe."

"And that's just what the universe needs too, another average guy turned megalomaniac." The Doctor muttered.

"I and my two brothers started out as pirates. We'd hijack pleasure cruisers and republican warships for treasure and slaves to sell to the highest bidder. But, we got to talking one day and decided that we were destined for far greater things than just petty thievery. So, we hit upon an idea. A gigantic laser cannon mounted to the front of our ship. Our plan was we would go to a planet, deliver an ultimatum for them to surrender and supply us with slaves and tribute and if they refused we would blow their planet into atoms and move onto the next one. Nice and simple. However, there was one huge problem standing in our way."

He glared at the Doctor.

"Hear that, Rose; I'm no longer a teensy weensy problem, now I'm a big, huge problem. I've moved up in the world."

He looked at Protorius.

"So, in order for you to carry on with your grand vision of looting and extorting and blasting planets out of the sky, you had to get rid of moi. And, in order to do that, you took a leaf from the villain cliché book and went after my companion instead of just being brave and facing me yourself. Because we all know what a brilliant fighter I am and I would just whoop your arse in no time so you somehow came up with a mist that could penetrate my TARDIS's defenses and carried off my bosom buddy to her therapy slash brainwashing session and bring her back a slobbering, bloodthirsty killer. Am I right on the money with this or not?"

"You are correct, Doctor."

"Ah! See, Rose, I told ya so. I'm great at this. But she knows that. I can't watch Poirot with her because I guess the killer in two seconds. That really pisses her off when she's settling down with a bowl of popcorn and hears, AHA, I'VE GOT IT! THE KILLER IS… Eventually, I had to stop doing that because I had trouble seeing the console through my blackened eyes. But, anyway, you were in the middle of boasting about your fabulous plan?"

Protorius glared at him.

"You think you're so smart, don't you?"

"No, I don't think. I know." The Doctor said shrugging. "And the point of that statement was…because I'm sensing it's leading up to an empty threat of some kind."

"You won't think this is so funny when I kill you."

"See, Rose, spot on again. Ah, all these baddie confrontations are getting to the point now where I can just phone it in. I suppose the next thing you'll tell me is Rose and I will never leave here alive."

"That's right. Neither of you will leave here alive."

"Ten points for me." The Doctor said to Rose.

He gasped when Protorius shot a laser beam close to his head.

"I do not like people mocking me, Doctor! The next time you do it, I will not miss your head!" he yelled at him.

He smirked at him.

"Now, what shall I do with you and your charming little companion? How about I tie you both together and tie you up in front of the laser cannon? That way, when we blast our first planet out of the sky, you will be blasted to atoms along with it."

He thought for a moment as he stared at the Doctor.

"Of course, you are very valuable. Not just because you are the last of your kind, but also because you are famous. I might be able to sell you off for museum exhibit. Course, Rose here is neither the last of her kind nor famous so she can be blasted to atoms. Unless, I keep her as a concubine, perhaps?"

Rose rolled her eyes.

"Here we go again, someone else wanting to keep me as their pet." She said. "Sorry, but I'm not interested."

Protorius shrugged.

"Okay then, if you wanna get blasted to bits, be my guest."

He aimed the blaster at Rose's head.

"Now, why don't we all move down to the detention area and you can both share a nice little cell until I figure out what to do with you." He said.

The Doctor looked over his shoulder as the TARDIS hologram suddenly appeared. He looked back at Protorius and noticed he hadn't seen her.

"Well, let's get going." He said when they didn't move.

"I think not!"

Protorius turned and stared at the TARDIS, confused. The Doctor took the opportunity to lunge at him and grab his blaster. Rose leaped onto his back as the Doctor wrenched the blaster from his hand and used his sonic screwdriver to disable it. Throwing it to the floor, he stood for a moment in amusement, as he watched him trying to get Rose off his back while she was beating him repeatedly on the head. Then, he grabbed his arm, jerked him around and with one punch knocked him out. Rose jumped off his back and they all watched as Protorius fell to the ground, unconscious.

"That takes care of him." The Doctor said.

"Yes, but there are two others on board, they are up in the cockpit." The TARDIS said.

"Then, let's pay them a little visit, shall we?" the Doctor said.

He looked at the TARDIS.

"Keep an eye on him. We shouldn't be too long." The Doctor said.

The TARDIS nodded and watched as the Doctor and Rose ran out of the room.

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Protorius' two brothers sat in the cockpit flying the ship. Their ears perked up when they heard the cockpit door sliding open. They looked at each other and started to swivel around in their chairs.

"Well," one of the men said. "Did you take care of the Doc…"

"Hello there," the Doctor said as he and Rose stood in the doorway. "I'm the Doctor and I'd like to welcome you aboard Oncoming Storm Airlines. Our in-flight movie today is One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and our stewardess shall be serving peanuts and Pepsi shortly. Until that time, both of you need to move to the detention area so I can deliver you and your brother to the Asylum for the Criminally Deranged on Rubar 12."

He aimed the sonic screwdriver at them.

"And now, if you'll please follow me, we can get the flight underway and get to our destination just in time for you lot to get a nice cozy, rubber room for the night."

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"Oh God, it feels so good to be home." Rose said stepping inside the TARDIS.

"It's good to have you home." The Doctor replied. "And now that Protorius and his two brothers are safely locked up, I'm sure we won't be hearing anything more from them."

"Yeah, now it's their turn to get their heads shrunk." Rose said walking over to the captain's chair and plopping down.

"You know, I've always wondered about that." The Doctor said closing the door and walking over to the console. "Curious turn of phrase. Head shrunk. Because where did it come from? Did they actually shrink people's heads in the early days of therapy? In the beginnings of human history, was there some headhunter Freud who counseled people and then shrunk their heads afters? Because I would imagine having a shrunken head after therapy would be a difficult thing to live with. And for that matter, who looked at an ice pick and said, this would make a wonderful therapy aide, let's stick it in Bob's skull and see what happens. And did someone stick their finger in a socket and say, why my head feels 100 percent better, let's strap Ian in and zap him until he makes sense. And strait jackets…"

"Doctor…"

"Yes, Rose?"

"Can you go back down to Rubar 12? I think I'm gonna need therapy just from listening to your prattle."

The Doctor grinned as she giggled.

"Nah, wouldn't want you too sane, then I wouldn't get to see you charge headlong into danger with nary a thought for life and limb and where's the fun in that?"

He pinched her cheek and walked over to the monitor. Rose sighed and settled back in the seat as the Doctor began to punch in some coordinates for their next adventure.

THE END.


End file.
